


Feral Moongene: Prince Eugene's Moon Juice is Loose

by LadyFawkes



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/M, Feral Behavior, Mild Gore, Sexy Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25009732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFawkes/pseuds/LadyFawkes
Summary: This is from a prompt generated by several creators on fitzfam's discord server.In summary: What if...*Moongene went feral so badly that he*Almost kills Rapunzel and everyone around him and the*Moonstone takes over and*He doesn't know what he's doing and*He can't shake it/stop himself?*And the only one in the universe who breaks through to him is Moonstone Rapunzel?Suppose he even goes so feral he*Powers through his gauntlets, gloves, bracers*Scratches up/permanently scars/temp damages his hands*And Rapunzel helps to lovingly heal and bandage his wounds.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Kudos: 11





	1. Good Morning, Starshine

The vile demoness Zhan Tiri had just Summoned the darkest of her powers. Now raising her enormous black claws in front of her, the wicked warlock caused Rapunzel’s form to involuntarily arise high in the cavern with the gesture. The young woman was trapped helplessly in midair, her pitch-black hair floating all around her. Though she struggled valiantly, her petite form remained practically immobilized within the green field of dark magical power. To Moon Prince Eugene, it looked as if his Princess Rapunzel were about to have a seizure; her back, shoulders, head and legs were thrown back as far as they could stretch. 

Zhan Tiri wickedly bade the power to increase throughout the green force field. A deep and grating raspy cackle issued from the goat’s throat at Rapunzel’s painful and humiliating struggles. Eugene shuddered. _Yergh. Such a friggin creepy noise._ And then…. _No, no, no, no, no….not you, Starshine…._ Rapunzel started choking and soon her entire form was shaking so violently, her poor body looked as if it were vibrating with pain. But the Moon Prince couldn’t give his position away just yet. Rapunzel had made him promise to stay put until the lunar eclipse had ended at the very least. His heart ripped in two nonetheless; he couldn’t bear to hear his beloved suffer. He willed Rapunzel to stop straining against the force field so hard, knowing that it fed on negative energies like anger and fear. 

Rapunzel knew it too. Somehow she must have forgotten. _No….not somehow,_ Eugene reminded himself, _it’s this thrice-damned lunar eclipse!!_ They’d been off their game that whole day. It’s the reason that Zhan Tiri attacked -- she knew they would be weakened. And it’s the only reason why Rapunzel was currently snatched up and being held as Zhan Tiri’s captive plaything. His kickass wife would’ve otherwise been far too powerful for the demoness to challenge. The princess had been winning until her power had a sudden lapse, causing her to fall right into Zhan Tiri’s reach. 

So how could he possibly help Rapunzel remember the force field trick? _Think, Fitzherbert, think!_ He got his best repeater-echo voice on and shouted behind him toward the opposite cavern wall, far away from his actual position. “Just relax, baby,” the prince called in his loudest and most suave crooner intonation. 

Now distracted, Zhan Tiri cast about in the cavern every which way she had heard one of Eugene’s reverberating echoes. Meanwhile, Rapunzel was no longer shuddering and choking. _YES! That’s my girl!_ the prince quietly pumped his fist to himself and mentally cheered his wife. Eugene could see the green energy field surrounding her shrink, fizzle, and fade as the demoness cast about for the prince himself -- the other half of her prey. He was watching all of this happen in reverse….since the only way he could see Rapunzel from his hidden vantage point was to look at a reflection within the flat plane of a humongous black crystal adjacent to his position. 

“I have had ENOUGH of you two and this charade!!!” the demoness yelled, clearly infuriated by her inability to track Eugene via just one of his cheeky echoes. Eugene could feel his powers flickering again. _C’mooon, Moooon!_ he willed the orb in the sky to give him its ultimate power just a couple of minutes early.

Zhan Tiri rounded on the princess seconds before Rapunzel could free herself from the green force field, snatched her up in one of her claws, and squeezed the princess as hard as she could. Rapunzel yelled, “Don’t do anything she says, Eu--!!” she had been cut off mid-yell. _Oh that tears it….._ Eugene couldn’t handle this anymore. 

"You, just like all the others before you, will each bow down to me like the stupid, mewling, puking chattel that you are," growled Zhan Tiri, her titanic mouth mere feet away from the helpless princess. Rapunzel’s eyes rolled back in her head. “Now, BOW TO YOUR SUPREME RULER, and learn what REAL POWER IS!!!!!” And the evil demoness threw the princess to the cavern floor in front of herself.

Rapunzel rolled as she hit the floor of the cavern, only to come to a stop, utterly motionless. She was now within mere feet of Eugene, amongst the piles of stone rubble, her cloud of raven hair spilling around her. Eugene carefully belly-crawled toward Rapunzel, completely unseen beneath her hair cloud. She was sucking in great gulps of air, for which he was instantly grateful. “Starshine?” he whispered, his voice panicky. 

In response, the princess took a hand of his and squeezed it. “I’m gonna punch out that squid-bitch’s lights!!!” he threatened through clenched teeth. He heard one small breathless, “Not yet, please,” from his princess. “Are you all right?” he slid up and around her, giving delicate popcorn kisses to her face and neck. She softly moaned and quivered under his touch; whether it was from pain or pleasure, he didn’t know. Yet didn’t she discourage him. “I can handle her, don’t worry,” Rapunzel whispered softly. “Starshine... _why_ won’t you let me fight??” he whispered back plaintively. “You know I could _win!”_ he said with desperation. “Beloved…” she turned to face her lover and gave him a kiss so full of passion and enthusiasm that it practically set his toes on fire, “you _know_ why,” was her only reply. Rapunzel locked her eyes on his own after she broke away from the kiss. The kiss that left Eugene panting and utterly breathless.

She was right. Eugene knew exactly why she didn’t want him to fight. The past few weeks, something had been….terribly off with Eugene. Something had….fractured within him. It seemed as if their plan to keep the Moonstone from overtaking either of them by sharing its halves was no longer working for them...or for him, rather….and they didn’t know why. But he still refused to let her take his half of the stone. What if she were corrupted by it too? This morning, she told him she was afraid that if he fought at all during the lunar eclipse and within 24 hours on either side of it...that she’d lose him to the Moonstone…..forever. “I can handle Zhan Tiri. Don’t do it, Eugene,” Rapunzel had told him sternly. She repeated herself again now. _¨Don't_ do it, Eugene.¨

Abruptly, Zhan Tiri’s black claws interrupted them and Rapunzel was swiped away from him, revealing Eugene’s hiding place in an instant. The demoness yelled at the sight of him and then roared as the prince successfully scrambled out of her reach again when she attempted to grab him with her other claw. 

“RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!” She was now completely incensed. “You--YOU INSIGNIFICANT MISERABLE APES!!!” She shook the princess hard and the young woman’s head rocked back and forth until she lolled over, utterly senseless from whiplash motions.

Then Zhan Tiri’s eyes raised in what Eugene interpreted to be appreciation....?....as if she gave the appearance of realizing something. “Ah,” said the demoness mockingly, “it is truly a pity that I must kill you both….” And she took the tip of her talon and dug into the princesses’s chest.

“Eu…..Eugene….?” questioned a half-dazed Rapunzel, who was now lying semi-conscious in Zhan Tiri’s open palm. “Wh...what....where…. AAAAHHHGGG!!!!” And his princess was in pain again. Eugene cursed under his breath. "Shit! _Shit! **SHIT!"**_

“I’M HERE, Starshine!!!” shouted Eugene into the cavern, hoping again to draw Zhan Tiri toward him. But it didn’t work this time. Instead, the demoness used that talon to finish digging out the magical cabochon from out of the princess’s sternum. Rapunzel didn’t even get the chance to defend herself…..and the cabochon was ripped from its cavity. The princess sagged as her hair again turned blonde and she fell lifeless onto the center of Zhan Tiri’s palm. The misplaced cabochon had flown upward and out of the demoness’s grasp to land and skitter across the floor of the cavern. Zhan Tiri appeared to have no use for it, which momentarily confused Eugene. 

Instead, the wicked warlock took that same talon and oh-so-delicately slit open the front of Rapunzel’s once-blue-and-black bodysuit straight down the center. Eugene’s hands balled into fists. His wife’s bosom spilled out of the torn brown bodysuit -- part of her that she only ever meant for him to see -- and Eugene felt the molten lava-like haze pass over his vision. Zhan Tiri then pinned Rapunzel in place at her navel with that single filthy talon. “Eugene….?” his wife questioned fearfully, having become fully cognisant of her current precarious situation. She sounded so very weak…. Eugene peered up at the waning eclipse, knowing he couldn’t wait any longer. “I’m sorry,” he apologized to the heavens, and his wife, “that I’m not sorry for what I’m about to do.”


	2. A Time to Quill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My feral Moongene is like a combination of Zac Levi (soft), Peter Quill (snarky/irreverent), Thor (all powerful), and looks like he should front a screamo band.

He stood up and broke into a full run, ducked out of the reach of the demoness, and tucked and rolled toward where he saw Rapunzel’s cabochon land, and scooped it up in his gloved hand. Still in motion from the slide, he jumped up and again broke into a full speed run until he again took cover. Eugene held Rapunzel’s cabochon up to his heart. Something suddenly proceeded to tug at and ultimately yank through a point from the center of his chest so hard, it felt as if his sternum had been plunged behind him all the way into next week. He gasped and panted as his heart skipped two beats and then thundered louder than ever in his chest. Briefly, a bright magenta halo had passed in front of his eyes, only to settle into a deep purple field of flames in his peripheral vision. Then there was a familiar zap of blue lightning as Eugene felt the powers of the Moonstone flicker on again. _Wow,_ thought Eugene breathlessly. _That wasn’t so bad._ He’d assumed combining the two halves of the Moonstone would’ve been much worse. The eclipse was nearly over. If he could just quickly take care of Zhan Tiri….maybe he could just undo the stone rejoining and-- 

“If I didn’t have to kill you two, I would’ve chosen you as the first bitch and stud for my new dark soldier breeding program,” cackled Zhan Tiri maniacally, “as we’d already have two new soldiers on the way!” The demoness shrieked with laughter.

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT, YOU MONSTER!!!!” screamed Eugene. It was louder than he’d ever shouted before….it practically sounded like two Eugenes shouting at once. The Moon Prince’s eyes flashed deadly blue-black and he was as a man unhinged.

"Hey, MS. SQUID-TITS!" he shouted. Eugene had already taken the Shadow Blade into his hands and super-charged it with what he personally called “Moon Juice”. 

"Suck on THIS fat one!!" 

He had run and leapt out from behind a stone column, high up in the air, and swung the Shadow Blade corkscrew-like over his head. He let loose the Juice as he reached the apex of that leap. The crackling electricity flowed Zhan Tiri’s direction and she flew backward, unwittingly releasing her hold on Rapunzel who tumbled to the floor. The cast energy thus trapped the demoness in place, as if she were a gigantic tentacled insect getting zapped. Within seconds, the air positively reeked of ozone and burned flesh. Zhan Tiri shrieked loud enough and high enough to shatter glass.

Eugene smiled grimly with satisfaction because he knew he could make her hurt so much worse. Everyone knew Zhan Tiri deserved to suffer. Now he was determined to make it happen.

“I call this one the ‘CROWN OF THORNS’!” shouted Eugene over the din of electric blue magical power, now holding the downward-pointing Blade out in front of him. _**KLANGGG!!!**_ the Blade sang as it slammed into the stone floor with overwhelming sonic force. The cavern shook as Prince Eugene next commanded a ring of 50-ft tall black spikes to burst forth from the cavern floor and up through the same space where Zhan Tiri was now held captive.

She shrieked and writhed exactly like the animal she was as the crystalline stalagmites ripped into her demon flesh. The tips of the gargantuan spikes now shone crimson with her spilled blood; blood which in turn was flung every which way as the demoness thrashed about in her electrical hematite prison. 

Once the demon’s attention was diverted, Eugene sprinted from his location toward Rapunzel. And he was again at her side. The prince grabbed his beloved’s tiny hand. It was still warm. Thank goodness. Her eyes flew open and she stared at him in horror, “Oh, Eugene…..” she whispered at his touch, “what have you _done???”_

“RRReeeeeeeAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!” roared the monster, clearly pained and now utterly furious. Zhan Tiri was now missing her left eye as well as a couple of tentacles. The Moon Prince smirked at his handi-work with dark satisfaction. Then he turned toward his beloved.

“I only did what needed to be done, Starshine,” he murmured lovingly, his blue-black eyes shining eerily like carapaces. Even while Eugene was losing himself to the Moonstone, his only real cognisant thoughts were for her….. She reached up and used the sleeve of her faded bodysuit to wipe away the spatter of Zhan Tiri’s blood from his face. Eugene carefully helped his wife to her feet.

“But….why?” she asked, her voice hitching on the word. _“Why_ does it have to be you?” Rapunzel implored, her eyes filling with tears.

“You _know_ why,” Eugene smiled as his own lower lip trembled and he in turn wiped away her tears with his thumbs. He gently placed his left hand and then his right hand on her lower belly. The twins. He meant the twins. Rapunzel covered his hands with her own. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” she sniffled. During that one blessed moment, Eugene’s eyes flashed their original warm brown color, and he said, “I know why you didn’t tell me.” And his own eyes filled with tears. It was for his sake -- she’d risked all three of them for him. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “It can’t happen anymore, though,” he said, turning back to face the battle. All too soon, his eyes turned solid black again. The prince removed his special shielding cloak and gave it to her. “Take this,” he instructed, “and take cover as quickly as possible. Things are going to get even uglier in here, very soon,” he warned chillingly. “This is going to end, once and for all.”

Rapunzel watched her prince sprint away. She looked at his cloak, briefly contemplating all that had happened and soon made a determination. Whether or not Eugene liked it, she was going to keep fighting too. Sure, the princess was weakened and superpowerless. But the powers of love and determination had often been the only tools in her arsenal of achieving masterful feats against insurmountable odds. 

Moon Prince Eugene faced his mortal enemy for the final time. “That's only a mere taste of what's in store for you!!!” he yelled at the top of his voice. His black eyes and arms crackled with immense electricity, creating webs of arcing lighting between his fingers. 

Zhan Tiri moved unsteadily over the shifting stone debris, stumbling heavily due to her new wounds and missing limbs. She was breathing hard but the look she had in her eye was no longer one of mere contempt. It was contempt and overwrought arrogance. 

“Do. Your. Worst,” seethed the demoness, hunching over to glare right through him.

“Well, if you insist,” said Prince Eugene. “This one’s for Rapunzel!!!!!” he reached up his right hand, calling on a gigantic 100-ft spike to come down and impale Zhan Tiri. It caught her left shoulder. She shrieked in pain as the spike drove itself through her body and jammed down through the rubble-strewn stone floor.

Eugene ran over to face Zhan Tiri. Her breathing had become labored. His boots had become slick with her blood. The prince climbed up to stand on the center of her chest. “Any final words?” he asked with a smirk. 

“Yes,” she choked. And unexpectedly she began to laugh with wild abandon--as much as she could muster with a punctured lung. “You’re too late!!!!” she cackled madly, pausing only to cough up blood spatter. “Up there!” She pointed with her free claw. Eugene called down another 100-ft spike to nail her through the other shoulder. “This one’s from ME!!!” he cried. More of Zhan Tiri’s blood spilt upon him.

Although Eugene was currently trying to look up into the sky through the humongous damaged hole in the roof of the cavern…..right now, he simply could not. For at that exact moment, the Moon was finally free of the Earthshadow. The Moonstone was now whole and free to do whatever it wanted…..and right now, post-eclipse, _it wanted Moon Prince Eugene._

Eugene went from standing mightily on Zhan Tiri’s chest to suddenly pitching forward onto his knees as the first volley of the Moonstone's darkest powers seared through him. He gasped at the level of sheer agony it caused. The purple flames once etched into his peripheral vision bloomed to deathly grey-black across his entire visual field and he was hit with surge after surge after surge of nerve-frying, earth-shattering, death-defying torture. Eugene grabbed the Shadow Blade and rested it on Zhan Tiri’s sternum with the intent to steady himself.

The entity known as Prince Eugene Fitzherbert retreated…..retreated with the onslaught of the Moonstone’s power. _No!! NO! I’m not ready!!!_ he tried fruitlessly to stop the Moonstone’s theft of his mind and body. He was hyperventilating, barely holding back rivers of tears building behind his blue-black eyes....

“Don’t....y-you….see??” the dying demoness rasped. “Ev-even my de-death me-means nothing-ing now sin-nce you’ve al-alread-dy dam-maged y-your soul-l in w-waaaays that you caaaan’t eeeever heeeal.” She then coughed explosively, causing Eugene to lose his balance, as she sprayed more red mist into the air. The overwhelmed prince abruptly pushed sideways off of Zhan Tiri’s chest, head-first, and into a thick pool of her blood on the cavern floor.

 ** _WHAM._** Eugene felt the back of his skull crack the unyielding stone behind it. The rest of him landed splayed out just as hard, situated partially on his right side. Time froze for several seconds as the prince’s injury immediately induced exquisite blinding white hot pain within him. He was left stunned, blinded, and unable to move or breathe for several seconds. As he oh-so-slowly exhaled again and the exploding stars cleared from his vision…..he used what little strength he had to turn fully onto his back. And he realized he could see, once again, through what looked and felt to be his very own eyes. 

For one brief moment he rejoiced, the tributaries of pent-up tears finally pouring forth from his eyes. Yet his joy was short-lived as he realized the implications….his head injury must be grave indeed for the Moonstone to have abandoned him. To have abandoned its theft over his mind, body, and soul. Clearly, Zhan Tiri realized something had just happened too. _“No!”_ wheezed the demoness in her death throes. “You cannot leave! Our deal was that I deliver the prince to you and you perform the transfer!” she whined and pleaded with the Moonstone until the last rasping breath left her ravaged and bloodied body. 

Then abruptly, the earth began shaking beneath them. Before ten seconds had gone by, the entire cavern was trembling violently with boulders and black rock spikes raining down from above. And all Eugene could do was lay there, feebly gasping every few seconds, staring up at the Moon and the Moonstone who was no longer free to do with him whatever she wished. “In your _face,_ bitches,” he whispered triumphantly, saving one last rebellious smirk for both the Moonstone and Zhan Tiri. It hadn’t been in the way originally he’d hoped or planned….but in his own Fitzherbert way, he had overcome, if not defeated both of them. Eugene closed his eyes, knowing he had accomplished his goal in protecting Rapunzel….and their baby. _Babies,_ he corrected himself, smiling wistfully. Pity he couldn’t be around to watch them grow up. And his vision faded to black and he passed out right as he heard the words, “Keep him covered with that Cloak, Lance. And mind his head -- it’s got a 4-inch gash in the back. We have to get out of here before the entire stone temple collapses!”


	3. A Couple of Honkers

Eugene felt himself floating in space. Such a soft, warm, white loveliness enveloped him. He didn’t really want to wake up. On the other side of consciousness lay pain, regret, and sacrifices. Yet on the other side of consciousness also lay his love, life, and most of his family. Family. The twins. He sat up and said, “Rapunzel!” Or….at least he would have; instead he merely succeeded in splashing himself and saying, “Runnhhhppnnzzuuhh.” 

His head just _ached._ So very badly. His mouth was so dry and painful and it felt as if it’d been stuffed with cotton and it tasted like….well, he didn’t really wanna describe what it tasted like and left it at “the worst dead thing ever”.

Eugene heard an excited voice say, “He’s finally coming round. At last! Go summon the Princess -- now!” Light footsteps were heard running quickly out of the chamber. The prince raised a hand to his forehead and was shocked to see both forearms, front and back, covered in an array of cuts that had been healing back together with lines of tiny stitching. He attempted to pump his fists a few times to see how they felt but the pain from the many wounds stitched closed on his forearms and palms made him yelp aloud. He sucked in a breath through his teeth.

Princess Rapunzel had insisted on being trained by the palace infirmary surgeon to fully take over chief of caretaking duties for the prince at her own behest. She bustled into the room wearing a white pinafore over her dress. She even wore slippers! When first arriving, Rapunzel immediately summoned their actual house surgeon and then gave Eugene a thorough once-over with a clinical eye, as she had been training for over the past week. She thoroughly washed her hands in a basin of fresh warm water and lye soap. They’d had false alarms before when Eugene was believed to be awakening but he was found to have been dreaming instead.

With extreme gentleness, Rapunzel came to the side of the bath basin and introduced herself. It had been repeatedly explained to her that victims with extreme concussion often do not even know their own identities when they do finally awaken. This may be a continual problem each time they fall asleep and reawaken too. The key was to provide a consistent environment and to calmly keep retelling and reassuring them each time.

“My name is Rapunzel,” said the beautiful sunny blonde woman at his side. She stood out in stark contrast to the rest of their dark surroundings. His brow furrowed in confusion. 

“Hnnggghh,” he said, still unable to use real words to communicate. “Millicent,” ordered the blonde, please fetch us a carafe of cool water. Make certain to bring one of Engineer Varian’s specialty glasses as well, please.” 

“Right away, ma’am,” said Millicent the bath chamber matron, who curtsied before leaving.

“I’ll tell you who you are; you’re Prince Eugene Fitzherbert of the Dark Kingdom. You and this poor battered body of yours recently have been through a great ordeal. I know you’re likely accustomed to your wife having blue and black hair,” Rapunzel said reassuringly, “but I promise -- I’m still her. You and I are married.” She showed him her wedding ring, which she had been safely keeping on a chain around her neck. “I haven’t been wearing it on my finger since I’ve been your caretaker. Wouldn’t want it to get lost or damaged. It’s priceless to me, you see,” and she smiled warmly.

Eugene unexpectedly raised a shaky, soaking wet hand up to Rapunzel’s face. She dropped the chain back in between her dress and pinafore, leaning into this sudden plaintive action of her husband. Taking extra care to mind where all of his stitches were, she arranged his right hand so she could rest her face against his palm without hurting him. Oh, how she'd missed the caress of these hands. “So you _do_ remember,” she breathed, her one whisper containing a wealth of emotions, “at least the important things.” Rapunzel turned and tenderly kissed the inside of his palm. “We were all so worried.”

In response, a solitary tear slid down Eugene’s cheek. He might not have known exactly how Rapunzel had managed to rescue him, nor why he was still here, especially when he had effectively brought his own demise upon himself. And, he supposed, that is why he readily accepted the waves of pain and nausea he was experiencing right now. They were proof he was still alive. Eugene couldn’t believe he’d effectively been given another chance to make things right. 

His dearest wife leaned toward him and began with ginger popcorn kisses on the top part of his cheek, the hollow of his cheek, and his jawline, slowly and deliberately following the trail of that solitary tear with a trail of tiny little love bites all the way down his neck, (where he groaned deeply with pleasure) across his collarbone, top of the sternum, and down the center of his pecs. 

A sharp and loud high-pitched throat-clearing startled them; Rapunzel tried to push herself back up again, from having leeeaned clear across the basin, looking quite pleased with herself for the erection she’d managed to give her husband just by her kisses alone. She was really proud for those few seconds, anyway.

“Wuh-oh-OH!!!!” and _**SPLASH!!!**_ The princess had taken a tumble face-first right into her husband’s milk, honey, rosehip, and lavender bath.

“Oh, Dear Lord,” Millicent cried, “are ye all right, ma’am?!?”

For a few seconds, there was nothing but the small tub-sized tidal wave sloshing around. Servants in the immediate vicinity came running at the commotion, only to be warned away by Millicent, who was trying valiantly to preserve what little was left of the prince's dignity. Bless her soul. Eugene had braced himself as best as he could….but the tub was wide enough to accommodate two at once and Rapunzel had landed away from him, so aside from slight motion sickness, he was fine, thankfully. Nonetheless Rapunzel had landed facing away from everyone else so they couldn’t even see her face either. As the princess lay motionless, Millicent and Eugene exchanged a very quick glance of concern.

Without pretense, the princess simply started shaking. Just a little bit at first and then her entire body shook uncontrollably. Eugene suddenly understood. It was laughter. She was laughing.

She finally burst out with, “BAHAHAHAHA!!!” already with tears streaming from her eyes. Eugene encouraged her to turn around and sloppy-snuggle him, sopping wet clothing and all. Rapunzel double-checked that she was curling up to his side without the bruised ribs. 

“What am I ever gonna do with you lot?” Millicent shook her head and smiled good-naturedly. “Call when you’re ready and here I’ve brought tea service for two,” she said, pointing at the silver tray she had just brought in. “Uhhh, actually….” Rapunzel said, just before the woman left the room, “could you bring me some dry clothes, please? And maybe about 50 clean towels so I can sop up the floor?”

“Where d’you think I’m headed off to at the moment?” Millie replied. Rapunzel nodded. “I should have guessed!”

As Millie left, Rapunzel reached over to cover Eugene’s penis, pretending to squeeze it and saying, “HONK! HONK!!” as if it were a horn, again sending herself into gales of laughter. And although it did hurt Eugene’s ribs to laugh a little with her, it was one of those good pains. He knew it was temporary. His vigilant, loving, pregnant wife clearly needed this emotional release and far be it from him to deny her.

By the time his bath was finished, the house surgeon had come to re-examine him, and even declared to the prince how well his sweet wife Rapunzel had been doing taking care of Eugene. The somewhat stern gentleman rarely ever gave compliments so this was very high praise indeed. 

Once they were finished with tea time (only tea and soup broth for him -- not even his best pouty-face could convince Rapunzel to give him solid food yet, as their surgeon forbade it), Eugene felt utterly exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. Since he’d been awake for all of 90 minutes, he fought falling asleep again until he absolutely had to. Eugene just learned from Rapunzel that he had already been concussed to unconsciousness and stayed that way for the whole past week. And that he had a 4-inch-long, 1-inch-wide gash on the back of his head. No wonder he could barely turn his head from side to side without feeling absolutely nauseated. No wonder standing up was out of the question for him thus far.

The slashes all over his arms were because somehow, during the magical power fluctuations of the lunar eclipse, the Shadow Blade had shattered in Eugene’s hands and even pierced his gloves and the armor around his bracers. Ouch. And how weird that he’d never even felt a thing after he’d slammed his head into the ground. Of course, he didn’t even remember he bit the end of his tongue too. Hard. And that is why it was so challenging for him to actually speak again. It too was painful. 

And if he wanted the end of his tongue to heal properly, the surgeon said he had to avoid speaking. It was a little bit like having laryngitis; he turned it into a game for himself to avoid going absolutely bonkers. The prince was so naturally expressive that he could often get his point across without saying a single word. He took pride in the amount of times he could get someone to tell him “Shut up!” and then he could just fold his arms and look at them pointedly and make them thus feel silly for telling a vocal-free person to “shut up”. 

Though it was still early, Rapunzel still called her night to a close and they both decided to try sleeping together for the first time since his fall. The staff had propped up Eugene on many pillows so he would remain as comfortable as possible. Once his wife was settled in and again happily and carefully nestled up next to him, he cupped her breast in one hand and asked, “Y’know what, Starshine?”, looked her lovingly in the eyes, and said, “HONK! HONK!!”


End file.
